Air Force sees AI cutting down on need for Force Protection man-hours at CENTCOM

The Air Force is looking at using artificial intelligence-based surveillance systems to monitor other country nationals at a U.S. Central Command base, which could significantly cut back on the number of uniformed personnel needed for force protection, according to a request for information posted Friday.

OCNs at Al Udeid Air Force Base, Qatar, and other CENTCOM locations are monitored by Force Protection personnel, but the service believes it could reduce those in-person monitoring hours by up to 75% with the use of AI monitoring, according to the post.

The round-the-clock surveillance network would include cameras covering the entire site, digital twins, geospatial tracking, automated alerts, enhanced-monitoring zones and other AI capabilities, the post states. It would also integrate automation “to address safety and/or security concerns,” according to the post.

The Air Force is also looking to integrate artificial intelligence into other systems, including the Advance Battle Management System and predictive maintenance technologies at Air Force Global Strike Command.

The Defense Department last week released an update to its autonomous weapon systems policy, which sets parameters around military applications for AI.